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Israel faces outcry after scores killed on Gaza border

Wednesday 16 May 2018 - 6:56am

Members of the Palestinian community and their supporters march toward the Israeli consulate to protest President Donald Trump's decision to move the U.S. embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem on May 15, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois.

GAZA CITY, Palestinian Territories - Israel came under mounting international pressure amid calls Tuesday for an independent probe after its forces killed 60 Palestinians during protests along the Gaza border as the United States opened an embassy in Jerusalem.

Palestinians on Tuesday marked the Nakba, or "catastrophe", commemorating the more than 700,000 Palestinians who fled or were expelled in the 1948 war surrounding Israel&39;s creation.

The Israeli army said its troops responded to this "with riot dispersal means and fired live rounds".

"Additionally, 700 people violently rioted throughout Judea and Samaria," it said referring to the West Bank.

It came a day after tens of thousands gathered near the border while smaller numbers of stone-throwing Palestinians approached the fence and sought to break through, with Israeli snipers positioned on the other side.

Most of the 60 Gazans killed Monday were shot by the snipers, Gaza&39;s health ministry said. The dead included a baby who died from tear gas inhalation and eight other children.

In the bloodiest day of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict since the 2014 Gaza war, at least 2,400 other Palestinians were wounded.

Israeli forces have killed 116 Palestinians since a campaign of protests on the Gaza-Israel border was launched on March 30.

Israel&39;s military said 40,000 Gazans took part in the protests the same day.

It said its aircraft had targeted 11 Hamas sites and tanks fired at "two terror posts belonging to Hamas", accusing the Islamist movement of opening fire towards Israeli forces.

Israel says its action is necessary to stop infiltrations of the border fence and claims that Hamas uses the protests as cover to carry out violence.

The army said "many rioters" had tried to breach the border fence Monday and "approximately 10 explosive devices and several firebombs were used to target the security fence and (Israeli) troops". It said shots were also fired at soldiers.